• IPA: /heɪl/, [heɪ̯ɫ]

hail (uncountable)

1. Balls or pieces of ice falling as precipitation, often in connection with a thunderstorm.

• French: grêle
• German: Hagel
• Italian: grandine
• Portuguese: granizo, saraiva
• Russian: град
• Spanish: granizo, pedrisco

hail (hails, present participle hailing; past and past participle hailed)

1. (impersonal) Of hail, to fall from the sky.

   They say it's going to hail tomorrow.

2. (intransitive) To send or release hail.

   The cloud would hail down furiously within a few minutes.

3. To pour down in rapid succession.

• French: grêler
• German: hageln
• Italian: grandinare
• Portuguese: granizar
• Russian: град идёт
• Spanish: granizar

hail (comparative hailer, superlative hailest)

1. (obsolete) Healthy, whole, safe.

hail (hails, present participle hailing; past and past participle hailed)

1. (transitive) to greet; give salutation to; salute.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book I ↗”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708 ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554 ↗, lines 249–252:

     {...}} Farewel happy Fields / Where Joy for ever dwells: Hail horrours, hail / Infernal world, and thou profoundeſt Hell / Receive they new Poſſeſſor: {{...}

2. (transitive) To name; to designate; to call.
   • 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […]”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: Printed by J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], OCLC 228732398 ↗, [https://archive.org/stream/paradiseregaindp00milt_0#page/{page}/mode/1up page 28]:

     354

   He was hailed as a hero.

3. (transitive) to call out loudly in order to gain the attention of

   Hail a taxi.

4. (transitive) To signal in order to initiate communication with.

• French: saluer
• German: grüßen
• Italian: salutare
• Portuguese: saudar
• Russian: приве́тствовать
• Spanish: saludar

• Portuguese: designar

• French: héler
• Italian: chiamare
• Russian: оклика́ть
• Spanish: llamar

1. An exclamation of respectful or reverent salutation, or, occasionally, of familiar greeting.
   • c. 1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act I, scene ii]:

     Hail, brave friend.

• Italian: ave
• Portuguese: ave
• Spanish: ave

1. Surname